the Five Remembrances

Remembering As Awakening:

Seeing Clearly, Living Intentionally

Throughout time, humans have had a fascination with finding freedom from the limits of mortality. A vast array of human activity is directed towards trying to reverse or slow aging, reduce disease, extend the lifespan, and in some cases accumulate as much as possible. The pressures to participate in this delusion of longevity are pervasive and unending.

On the other hand, Western Society has also long struggled with aging and death, medicalizing the process, and creating distance from these shared inevitabilities. We avoid acknowledging that death is the one guarantee for all of us and often pathologize the grief that follows after loss.

The Buddha offered another option. In a list known as The Five Remembrances (found in the Upajjhatthana Sutta), he actively encourages us to consider that in the end everything will be lost—our youthful vigor, our health, our life, and everything and everyone that we care about. Nothing lasts.

However, this list is not a recipe for depression and despair. Rather, it is a wake-up call to see life as it actually is and in response, savoring the life that we have. It inspires us to commit to living well, recognizing that our actions (karma) are our only true possessions, and in light of the impermanent nature of all things, to live with generosity, vitality, intention, gratitude, and joy.

We invite you to join us for a five-month study as we remember together the way things actually are and support each other in living each moment to its fullest.

Schedule

Saturdays from 1000-1200 CST

Dates

21 February 2026

21 March 2026

18 April 2026

23 May 2026

20 June 2026